Andrés Rodríguez-Clare

Andrés Rodríguez-Clare

American pundits and politicians have long been vocal about the U.S. trade deficit, which has been rapidly increasing since 1997 and hit a record high of 763.6 billion dollars in 2006. Is the fact that America imports so much more than it exports legitimate cause for alarm?

Think of Italy, and the mind drifts inevitably to food. Tagliatelle con tartufo nero. Zuppa di pesce. Saltimbocca alla Romana. These days, thinking of Italian food means thinking also of nutrition. The so-called Mediterranean diet, with its essentials of olive oil, pasta, tomatoes, and red wine, is championed for heart health and longevity by doctors and nutritionists around the world. What better place than Italy to study the science of food?